Watch-winding mechanism



Sept. 11, 1923.

J. A. FREUND WATCH WINDING MECHANISM Filed July 5, 1918 Patented Sept. 11 1923.

UNITED s'r'Ar -zs PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A. FREUND, F NEWTONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO KEYSTONE WATCH CASE COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 01? PENNSYLVANIA.,

WA'IGHQWINDINGMECHANISM.

Application .filed July 5,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. FREUND, a citizen of the United States and resident of Newtonville, county of Middlese'x, State 5 of Massachusetts, have made a certain new and useful invention relating to Watch- Winding Mechanismpfwhich the following is a specification, takenin connection withv the accompanying drawing, which forms part of the same. t y

This invention relates especially to winding mechanism for watches or similar time pieces in which the click or holding pawl for the winding wheel or ratchet is mounted on a click lever which is pivotally or, otherwise movably mounted at a point across the central portion of the winding wheel from the click. In this way the click lever may have a substantially diametrical arrangement with respect to the winding or ratchet wheel and the click may thus gradually engage the teeth of the wheel so that a considerably recoilin action may be conveniently effected be ore the click lever comes into its final or holding position. The click lever may in some cases be advantageously formed with an integral restoring spring which tends to force the click into engagement with the teeth of the cooperating wheel and it is sometimes advantageous to form the click integral with the click lever as by stamping or forcing the metal up therefrom. y

' In the accompanying drawingindicating 86 in a somewhat diagrammatic way illustrative embodiments. of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a view on an enlarged scale showing the click lever and cooperating parts.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken sub 40 stantially along the center line of the click lever.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged View showing another cliclrconstruction; and

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view through the click lever thereof.

The watch winding mechanism may comprise a winding wheel 30f any suitable construction screwed or otherwisemountcd on the barrel arbor 1, for instance, and it is,

of course, understood that this. winding wheel is rotated by intermediate gears not shown from the winding stem 2 of the watch so that this winding wheel is rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 when the 1918. Serial no. 243.298.

main spring of the watch is being wound up. The click or pawl IOis adapted to engage the teeth of this winding wheel and prevent undersirable rearward movement thereof and this click may be advantageous ly mounted on a click lever which extends more orless across or around the winding wheel so as to bepivoted' or otherwise loosely mounted: at a point somewhere beyond the central portion of the win dingwheel' with respect to the click and preferably substantially diametrically across the winding wheel so that the click gradually engages the teeth of the winding wheel and allows a considerable recoiling or retrograde movement thereof before the click comes into its final holding position.

For this purpose the click 10 may be formed or mounted in any suitable way on a click lever 1 which may be loosely pivoted, for instance, about the pivot 15engaging the dial plate 13 of the watch, this pivotal end'of the click lever being preferably arranged in a suitable pivot recess, such as 25, in this'dial plate. The click lever may also have an ofiset or curved central portion 14 to encircle the barrel arbor where as in this instance, the click lever is arranged below the winding wheel and below the bridge plate or member 12 which may have the recess 24 in which this winding wheel operates. This bridge member may be formed with a slot 11 which may cooperate with a clickstud or projection9iormed around the click and if desired this slot may, act as a guide slot for the click or click stud so as to have the desired guiding action thereon during its operation. If desired, however, the click lever may be extended so that its end engages a holding member or portion 6 which may advantageously be formed directly in the dial plate so as to positively limit the recoiling movement of the click lever and click and this holding recess in the dial plate may havethe. desired angular extent so that the click lever may move forward during the winding movementto about the dotted position indicated in Fig. 1 in which the click is. shown as slipping over one of the teeth of the windingwheel. Any suitableform of restoring spring or device may be arranged to cooperate with' the click lever and it isfor some purposes advantageous to form an in tegral restoring spring or portion somewhere on the click lever itself, such as the restoring spring end 5 thereof, which tends to throw the click lever and click into engagement with the winding wheel when, for example, this restoring spring engages the restoring lug or member 7 in the dial plate.

The forward movement of the winding wheel 8 in the direction of the arrow thus serves to carry the click and click lever forward toward their dotted position shown in Fig. l in-which the restoring spring comes into action and forces the click toward the next rearward tooth whenever it slips over one of the teeth of the winding wheel. When the winding stem 2 is released after each winding movement the main spring tends to force the winding wheel backward and this retrograde or recoiling action carries the click lever backward from its dotted position through a considerable angle until it comes into engagement with the positive holding member or face 6 formed in the dial plate. The extent of this recoiling action can of course be regulated by varying the angular extent of the holding recess and alsovarying the position of the click lever pivot where necessary, the closer the pivot is arranged to the center of the winding wheel the greater the extent of rccoiling'or retrograde movement which can be secured. It is, of course, understood that this recoil ing action should be suilicient to prevent any possibility of such overwinding of the main spring or its connections as mlght cause excessive strain on the connected wheels and escapement and interfere with the accuracy of the time piece. As indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, the click lever and click may be formed of one piece of resilient metal and may be conveniently shaped or stamped up out of suitable sheet metal, the click and click stud being formed in dies which may simultaneously form the click recess 16 in the opposite side of the click lever and also stiffen and harden the metal at this point. The working faces of the click may, of course, be subsequently finished and polished where desired and the parts may of course be formed of one or more pieces of metal in other ways in some instances.

Fig. 3 shows another arrangement in which a separate restoring spring, such as 17, is shown as having its end 18 mounted in a curved recess in the dial plate 13, so that this spring normally tends to hold the end of the click lever 4. against its holding member or face 6. During the windin movement of the wheel 3 the click 1O anc click lever 4 are carried over toward the side 20 of this recess, the spring being simul taneously carried toward the inclined side 19 thereof. As indicated in Fig. 4:, the click may in this instance comprise a separate piece or member having the projecting click stud 21 integral therewith and having the stem or body, 22 securely riveted into the hole 23 in the click lever 4 which also al lows the click to be made of different metal where desired.

This invention has been described in connection with a number of illustrative embodiments, forms, proportions, parts, materials and arrangements, to the details of which disclosure the invention is not of course to be limited, since what is claimed as new and what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In winding mechanism for watches, a toothed winding wheel, a barrel arbor to which said winding wheel is secured, a bridge member mounted adjacent said winding wheel and formed with a guide slot, a click cooperating with the teeth of said winding wheel and having a connected click stud operating in said guide slot, a click lever on which said click is mounted and having an offset portion extending around said barrel arbor and havingapivot substantially diametrically across said winding wheel and on the opposite side thereof from said click, a dial plate formed with a pivot recess to accommodate the pivotal portion of said' clic; lover, a holding recess in said dial plate to accommodate the free end of said click lever and formed with a holding member, a restoring lug in said recess and an integral restoring spring on said click lever to engage said restoring lug and maintain said click in engagement with the teeth of said wind ing wheel during the forward movement thereof, said holding recess allowing a considerable recoiling movement of said click lever and click when the forward winding movement of said winding wheel ceases.

2. In winding mechanism for watches, a toothed winding wheel, a barrel arbor to which said winding wheel is secured, a bridge member mounted adjacent said winding wheel, a click cooperating with the teeth of said winding wheel, a click lever on which said click is mounted and having an offset portion extending around said barrel arbor and having a pivot substantially diametrically across said winding wheel and on the opposite side thereof from said click, a dial plate formed with a pivot recess to accommodate the pivotal portion of said click lever, a holding recess in said dial plate to accommodate the free end of said click lever and formed with a holding member, a restoring spring to maintain said click in engagement with the teeth of said winding wheel during the forward movement thereof, said holding recess allowing a considerable recoiling movement of said click lever and click when the forward winding movement of said winding wheel ceases.

3. In winding mechanism for watches, a toothed winding wheel, an arbor to which said Winding wheel is secured, a plate mounted adjacent said winding wheel and formed with a guide slot, a click cooperating with the teeth of said winding wheel and having a connected click stud operating in said guide slot, a rigidly connected click lever carrying said click and mounted below said late and having an offset portion extending around said arbor, a pivot for said click lever substantially across the central portion of said winding wheel from said click, a restoring spring to maintain said click in engagement with the teeth of said winding wheel during the forward movement thereof, and a holding member limiting the rearward movement of said click and allowing a considerable recoiling movement of said click lever and click when the forward winding movement of said winding wheel ceases.

4. In winding mechanism for watches, a toothed winding wheel, an arbor to which said winding wheel is secured, plate mounted adjacent said winding wheel, a click cooperating with the teeth of said winding wheel, a clicklevercarrying said click and having an offset portion extending around said arbor, a pivot for said click lever substantially across the central portion of said winding wheel from said click, and a holding member limiting the rearward movement of said click and allowing a considerable recoiling movement of said click lever and click when the forward winding movement of said winding wheel ceases.

5. In winding mechanism for watches, etc., a toothed winding wheel, a click cooperating with the teeth of said winding wheel, an integral click lever on which said click is mounted and having a pivotal point substantially diametrically across said winding wheel and on the opposite side thereof from said click, an integral restoring spring on said click lever to maintain said click in engagement with the teeth of said winding wheel during the forward movement thereof, and aholding member limiting the rearward movement of said click and'allowing a considerable recoiling movement of said click.

when the forward winding movement of said winding wheel ceases.

6. In winding mechanism for watches,

etc., a toothed winding wheel, a click cooperating with the teeth of said winding wheel, a click lever on. which said click is mounted and having a pivotal point substantially across the central. portion of said winding wheel from said click, means to maintain said click in engagement with the teeth of said winding wheel during the forward movement thereof, and a holding member limiting the rearward movement of said click and allowing a considerable recoiling movement of said click when the forward winding movement of said winding wheel ceases. Y

7. In winding mechanism for watches, etc., a toothed winding wheel, a click cooperating with the teeth of said winding wheel, a click lever on which said click is mounted and having a pivot substantially diametrically across the central portion of said winding wheel and on the opposite side thereof from said click, a plate formed with a pivot recess to accommodate the pivotal portion of said click lever, a holding recess in said plate to accommodate the free end of said click lever and formed with a holding member, a restoring lug in said holding recess and an integral restoring spring on said click lever to engage said restoring lug and maintain said click in engagement with the teeth of said winding wheel during the forward movement thereof, said holding recess allowing a consider able recoiling movement of said click lever and click when the forward winding movement of said winding wheel ceases.

8. In winding mechanism for watches,

etc., a toothed winding wheel, a click cooperating with the teeth of said winding wheel, a click lever on which said click is mounted and having a pivot substantially across the central portion of said winding wheel from said click, a plate formed with a pivot recess to accommodate the pivotal portion of said click lever, a holding recess in saidgplate to accommodate the free end of said click lever and formed with a holding member, and a restoring spring on said click lever to maintain said click in engagement with the teeth of said winding wheel during the forward movement thereof, said holding recess allowing a considerable recoiling movement of said click lever and click when the forward winding movement of said winding wheel ceases.

9. In winding mechanism for watches, a

sheet metal click lever having an integral click stamped up out of said click lever to cooperate with the teeth of a winding wheel and having a connected click stud adjacent said click lever and having an offset intermediate portion to extend around the arbor of said winding wheel and having a pivotal portion adjacent the other end of said click lever from said click.

10. In winding mechanism for watches, a click lever having an integral click stamped up out of said click lever to cooperate with the teeth of a winding wheel and having an offset intermediate portion to extend around the arbor of said winding wheel and having JOSEPH A. FREUND. 

